Chapter Thirty-Two -God's Anger Brought to a Finish

John continues: "And lightnings and voices and thunders occurred, and a great earthquake occurred such as had not occurred since men cam to be on the earth, so extensive an earthquake, so great.  And the great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell; and Babylon the Great was remembered in the sight of God, to give her the cup of the wine of the anger of his wrath. Also, every island fled, and mountains were not found. and a great hail with every stone about the weight of a talent descended out of heaven upon the men, and the men blasphemed God due to the plague of hail, because  the plague of it was unusually great." -Revelation 16"18-21.

Once again, Jehovah acts unmistakably toward mankind, this being signaled by"lightnings and voices and thunders."  (Compare Isaiah 13:13; Joel 3:16)  This blockbuster shaking will shatter "the great city," Babylon the Great, so that it splits into "three parts"-symbolic of its collapse  into unredeemable ruin. Also, "the cities of the nations" will fall.  "Every island" and "mountains" -institutions and organizations that seem so permanent in this system-will go.  "A great hail,"  much greater than that which afflicted Egypt during the seventh plague, with each hailstone weighing about a talent,  will pummel mankind painfully.  (Exodus 9:22-26) this punishing downpour of congealed waters likely pictures unusually heavy verbal expressions of Jehovah's judgments, signaling that the end of this system of things has arrived at last! Jehovah could well use literal hail too in his destructive work. -Job 38:22, 23. 

Thus, Satan's world will meet up with Jehovah's righteous judgment. To the end, most  of humankind will continue to defy and blaspheme God. As with Pharaoh of old, their hearts will not be softened by the repeated plagues or by the final death-dealing culmination of those plagues.  (Exodus 11:9, 10)  There will be no last-minute, large-scale change of heart. With their dying breath, the will rail against the God who declares;  "They will have to know that I am Jehovah." (Ezekiel 38:23) Nevertheless, the sovereignty of Jehovah God the Almighty,  will have been vindicated.  

Next time: Chapter Thirty-Three -Judging the Infamous Harlot

From the book of Revelation